While Western countries, Russia and Iran has not given the green light to Turkey’s possible incursion in Syria, US-based Axios reported on Wednesday Israeli officials also called the Biden administration in recent weeks to press Turkey not to launch an incursion into northern Syria for another military operation.
The Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata told his US counterpart Jake Sullivan that a new Turkish incursion into northern Syria would dramatically harm the Kurds and could benefit Iran in the long run, the two anonymous Israeli officials said.
This message was conveyed to the Biden administration by several other Israeli officials but the Israeli Prime Minister’s office declined to comment over the issue, Axios added.
Israel sees the Syrian Kurds as allies against growing Iranian influence in Syria according to the website.
Israel and Turkey have recently been making an effort to mend their relations that have been fractured for more than a decade.
Lastly, in response to Turkish plans, the United States said a new offensive would further undermine regional stability and put US forces at risk in its campaign against ISIS, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday. “We condemn any escalation. It is important to us that existing ceasefire lines be preserved.”
On 23 May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced plans to carry out another major military cross-border incursion into northern Syria. He specified his targets as the two northern Syrian cities of Manbij and Tell Rifat.